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Greg
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« on: February 25, 2008, 09:55:43 PM » |
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Amazing how many times I have been asked that question...as if a single response could sum up 6 months worth of life changing experiences.
I usually answer "it was good". Like Brooke said in the documentary "A Map for Saturday" (he brilliantly covers the how-was-it question) there is no real answer to that question. You almost want to ask "well how much time do you have?"
The sad reality is that no matter your answer, 99% of people that stayed behind at home will not be able to relate even slightly to what you just went through, and unless they have traveled previously themselves, they will either give you a blank stare and say "great" or quickly change the subject because they feel threatened. Who wants to think that they are not in the right place in life? You have to realize, they spent the entire time while you were gone sitting in an office, or traffic, or getting excited about renting a movie on weekends.
I find it best not to press the issue, even though I am exploding on the inside to share trip details with someone, I will hold back and always let them ask first.
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Anna
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« Reply #1 on: February 25, 2008, 10:16:55 PM » |
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"or getting excited about renting a movie on weekends." sigh, that's me.
I'm glad to hear that it wasn't weird for you, that it was good. I'm just scared that I'll be out of tune with everyone when I start college after I get back, that I'll just want to be travelling and not studying. No doubt, I'll do some studying abroad whenever I can.
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Applette
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« Reply #2 on: February 26, 2008, 07:07:09 AM » |
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*sigh* I hear you guys on that one.... The saddest part of it all, is that even less time away (1-3 months) will get the the "blank stare" response from most people. Like you Greg, I generally don't say much unless asked. The polite listeners will nod and smile, but you still get this vibe that they're waiting for you to come back to reality....their reality that is. hehe. It's difficult to find like minded people to share your excitement and stories with. I thank the travel gods for travel forums like this one, that provide a dose of "sanity"  in our otherwise anti-wanderlust society. |
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Simon
Beach bum
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« Reply #3 on: March 09, 2008, 07:55:29 PM » |
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I totaly agree with you guys!! It's imposible to talk to someone that hasn't traveled about how nice it is to just stay in the living room from a hostal, drink a beer and talk to completely strangers for hours.
What about the "What did you like the most" question?
Damn I haven't been able to answer that one to myself and they expect a simple "Rome"! Bfffffff
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narfette
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« Reply #4 on: March 11, 2008, 07:57:01 AM » |
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Seeing as everyone had been avidly reading my blog, they all had questions prepared.. or I'd start to talk about something and they'd say, "Oh yeah, I read about that."
The thing is, I had a really hard time coming bakc to "reality". It wasn't my reality anymore. People would say "Welcome back to the real world" and I would say something like "What, this is reality? I want nothing of your reality!"
I was having breakdowns. Literally. I hadn't even been back for 24 hours when I went to the store to pick up dog food (oh, how sad I was to not go to a market and have them shovel in a couple kilos into a plastic bag...) and burst into tears when I saw that ONE avocado cost 1.50$. I lived off of those for months. And now I couldn't even afford one!
I broke down. I spent 2 weeks crying. I spent 2 weeks bashing my head against the wall wondering why the hell I´d gotten on that plane, why I didn´t stay. So I left for the West coast to go fruit picking, and when the season was done, I stuck out my thumb to come back to Latin America.
And now I have a desk job in Buenos Aires, and am secretly planning my next escape.
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« Last Edit: March 11, 2008, 08:00:05 AM by narfette »
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on va toujours seul sur la route, je continue coûte que coûte!
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Greg
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« Reply #5 on: March 11, 2008, 04:43:36 PM » |
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I had the same experience....I nearly exploded when I saw that mangoes were US $.75 cents when I got home. After picking them up off the ground around my bungalow and eating them for breakfast every morning in the islands, it made me want to smack the store manager around a bit! Same with the travel blog.....for weeks, I would start into an adventure story and be cut off with "I remember reading that"....and after 2 weeks of being home without much of a question from one of my friends, I finally asked why. He told me he had read my blog and already knew everything about my trip, lol. I think the shock of coming home is many times more difficult to deal with than the initial culture shock of going to a new country....its easy to get depressed, insane, or very very bored. Maybe that's why I become a severe email addict and cant seem to get away from the internet (its my only tie to friends and places around the world) when I am home?  |
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Applette
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« Reply #6 on: March 11, 2008, 05:57:18 PM » |
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...Maybe that's why I become a severe email addict and cant seem to get away from the internet (its my only tie to friends and places around the world) when I am home? I second that! "Price shock" is always a tough one to handle for me as well...partly caused by calculating exchange rates and managing the travel budget on the road. It's difficult to "turn the calculator off in your head" when you get home. |
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narfette
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« Reply #7 on: March 12, 2008, 09:36:53 AM » |
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I KNOW. I mean, ONE avocado is the price of a big bowl of soup, a glass of lemonade and a nice big plate of bolivian mystery meat paired with some yuca and veggies. It made me sick, really. Most people would probably think, oh, those people are so poor, look they live with 80$ a month. I thought, holy shit, why the hell is everything so overpriced in the Western world?
That, and there's something just so endearing about eating in crowded filthy markets crawling with chuchos and drinking stuff out of bags. Now that's what I call civilized.
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on va toujours seul sur la route, je continue coûte que coûte!
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Anna
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« Reply #8 on: March 12, 2008, 09:59:43 AM » |
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I KNOW. I mean, ONE avocado is the price of a big bowl of soup, a glass of lemonade and a nice big plate of bolivian mystery meat paired with some yuca and veggies. It made me sick, really. Most people would probably think, oh, those people are so poor, look they live with 80$ a month. I thought, holy shit, why the hell is everything so overpriced in the Western world?
That, and there's something just so endearing about eating in crowded filthy markets crawling with chuchos and drinking stuff out of bags. Now that's what I call civilized.
I love chuchos! there's so many of them in Guatemala. I don't have much experience in Latin America, but the markets in Guatemala are amazing. And clearly divided- the tourist side and the local side. |
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narfette
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« Reply #9 on: March 12, 2008, 12:49:43 PM » |
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Most of Latin America is full of chuchos.. I love them. I always end up wanting to take one with me (and in the end, I did, in Bolivia). I always share my meals with them when I'm travelling.. and people always look at me funny for it.
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on va toujours seul sur la route, je continue coûte que coûte!
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val8425
Still in the Matrix
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« Reply #10 on: May 23, 2008, 10:57:55 AM » |
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Yes, I to struggled when I returned from 3 months away. Not only did I feel I had nothing in common anymore with the people that surrounded me, but I seemed to get aggravated a bit more easily. I had to answer to people again and focus on reality. Only those friends who had traveled like I truly understood and cared about my adventure. The others will never understand. But if everyone traveled like we did, then it would not be as special or as meaningful. I can just hold my head up a little higher now.
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Victoria Lovuola
New Full-Time World Traveler
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johnnymac
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« Reply #11 on: June 25, 2008, 06:16:38 PM » |
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Chuchos? Are they the same as churros?
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narfette
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« Reply #12 on: June 26, 2008, 07:24:23 AM » |
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Jajajaja!!!!
No, "chucho" is a central american term for street dog. In some places like Bolivia, Peru, Argentina and Chile, they say "callejero". beware not to say "mira la chucha!" in Argentina, which translates to, look at that cunt!
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on va toujours seul sur la route, je continue coûte que coûte!
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doverider
On the couch
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« Reply #13 on: March 30, 2009, 01:31:32 PM » |
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I'm sure it's not nearly as profound, but I got similar feeling when I left Boot Camp, College, and other 'ways of life'. I've run into that lack of empathy, sympathy, and understanding on many levels. Most people do not try to 'walk in anthother's shoes'. They try to fit other's into their mold. Those that can be sympathetic can only do so for a limited time. Then you get the "Blank Stare". At times I thought they were jealous or self-absorbed. Maybe it's just to mind bending for them. But like my desire to wander, the reasons don't really matter. It is what it is. Truthfully, it is one of the reasons why I am so looking forward to travel. At least if my own 'peeps' can't relate to me, this time I'll have had AWESOME experiences for them NOT to relate to! |
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Everyday is a Holiday. Every meal is a Feast.
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Greg
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« Reply #14 on: March 30, 2009, 02:40:23 PM » |
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I thought your quote at the bottom was familiar....Full Metal Jacket?  You'll love some of the parallels between military and budget travel life. I got to play army for 6 years as an artillery scout and I still get that little surge of adrenaline when I put a heavy rucksack on my shoulders and have no idea where I'm going......woohoo! |
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